I stood amazed at the hundreds of thousands of padlocks many engraved with the initials of sweethearts attached to every imaginable part of the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris The pedestrian bridge across the Seine River was inundated with these symbols of love a couple rsquo s declaration of ldquo forever rdquo commitment In the love locks were estimated to weigh a staggering fifty tons and even caused a portion of the bridge to collapse necessitating the locks rsquo removal The presence of so many love locks points to the deep longing we have as human beings for assurance [... more]